Earth-Sized Planet Circles Alpha Centauri B

Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet roughly the size of Earth orbiting Alpha Centauri B, the star nearest our sun.

The Alpha Centauri system — composed of three stars orbiting one another — is only 4.4 light-years away, a cosmic stone's throw from us. Though the newly discovered planet has about the same mass as our own, its orbit is 25 times smaller, so a year on this planet passes in just 3.2 days. This means the planet is sitting up against its star, roasting at perhaps 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit with a surface likely composed of molten lava.

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